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User blog:Janaethompson/How To Create a Pet Site
The list of species and colors abound the pet simulation spectrum is astounding! One of the best features of the site is seeing the different styles and tastes users choose to express via their pets. Some users theme their pets color-wise, while others stay within a single species. Users that are UBER-proud of their pets may even decide to list them in a pet directory. Pet directories focus on a particular theme and list Neopets that showcase that category. However, there is so much more to running one! In this article you will learn the basics to opening your very own directory to display your favorite color, species, or pet-niche! Purpose The first thing you will want to consider is why you want to open your site. Do you currently want a theme that fits the criteria? Have you always been obsessed with "grotesque" pets? Maybe a new color has been released and you would like to begin cataloguing from the very beginning! Having a purpose for creating your page with help fuel the many hours required for content creation. Originality I personally believe this is the single most important factor in creating a Pet Site! When brainstorming ideas, it's best to do a quick search to see what pet species currently exist. Looking at pet sites will also provide understanding for common practices in page design. In your search you may find that your idea already has a pet directory-- do not fear! Pet sites were very popular in the early 2000's, so you may find a page that is wildly outdated and even ran by an inactive account. If you find an actively updated directory, think of ways you could branch out and differentiate yourself within that theme. If you decide to create a pet that has already been done (i.e. cats, griffins, birds, especially penguins, dogs), please be careful and do not plagiarize another artists work. Chibs cowboy.gif Speiro blue.gif Osafo sparkle.gif Newth checkered.gif Rusty cowboy.gif Finding exactly what your home page will showcase is definitely tricky! Highlighting a certain species and color are the first obvious choices. There are pages that list oldies (old pets), pets with a specific name, pets over a certain age, and even multiple colors that fit a theme. An example of a theme would be halloween and ghost pets since they give off a dark and spooky vibe that go well together. Whatever you decide, make it unique and something you are interested in. I love looking at unique pet sites, much like how people enjoy looking at a unique gallery. Plushie pets, while adorable, are one of the most common and therefore not as exciting to peruse. (Plushie fans please do not send me a Broken Wind Up Zoosh Toy, I appreciate all your hard work!! *throws all the Fasoro biscuits*) Rather than staying comfortable and doing what has already been done, get crazy and brainstorm unique and new ideas! Content Once you have landed on your site theme, it's time to start creating the content! Rather than slapping a list of pets on the pet page and calling it a day, research your theme. How can a user obtain a pet of this species or color? Are there any avatars, shop blogs, or characters of this pet? Are there any famous pets of this color or species? For example, a Tantua page could highlight King Baspinar. A pet site would certainly have a history section detailing the evils of a certain villain! The purpose of a pet site is to full detail the history centered on the species or color. Listing galleries and items provide rich examples of your theme's presence. These questions are all commonly answered within pet directories, can you think of any new areas you would like to cover? Layout It is a necessity that any well-made pet site has a clean and easy to navigate layout. Without one, the large amounts of images and written content will simply overwhelm the guest attempting to view the page and ruin the learning experience. If you have radical coding skills, this is where you will thrive! If coding is not your specialty you have two options: 1- Ask for help on the Forums. In the early 2000's I knew very little HTML. After I made a Forum asking for coding help a kind user actually offered to code my site for me! I credited the coding to their account and proceeded to fill in the page with my original content. If you run into someone who if willing to do you this awesome favor, make sure to leave credit and thank them a thousand Newths or Meepits worth! 2- Use a premade layout. There are tons of awesome premade layouts that are ready to go! Some premade sites even have basic templates that you can edit and add your own graphics to that help your page look original without the backhanded coding. Even if you edit the coding, it is imperative to leave credit! Listing Now we come to the original purpose of pet sites-- listing the pets! There are a couple ways to do this. You can simply hyperlink the name of the pet or display their image. Displaying images is super fun because you see how pets look within the same genre. You might consider listing something about each pet, their favorite food, season, minipet, etc. How you set up your directory is completely up to you! How Pets are Submitted: Somewhere your page it is a good idea to display a form for users to email you if they desire to list their pet. Not only does this give you permission to add their pet, it helps you keep your page organized. Not an adoption agency!! Within the main forums, place a note that kindly asks users to not email pet owners asking to adopt their pet. This is a classy place to display and celebrate pets, not beg for them! Awareness Once your site has a beautiful face and most of the content ready, it's time to advertise! Creating a Forum on the Pound Chat and Fan Club Chat is a great place to start. If your site features a wider niche such as avatar pets or pets with rich character development, advertise of the correlating forums. You are seeking a certain demographic so be sure to seek those users out rather than spamming all 24 Forums. Consider creating a font that links to your page to drive in traffic as well! The cutest form of awareness will come in the form of a link back button. These buttons can be displayed by adoring fans and especially by the pets listed in your site! Building a section of affiliates (sites that link to you if you link to them) is a neat way to build repertoire as well. Creating and running a pet site is a rewarding experience! Not only are you celebrating something you love about your world, you are contributing the culture and make-up of the site. If this article inspired you to create your own, I would love to hear your ideas! Chatting with other site owners and encouraging each other in the creative process is just as fun as running itself! Now what are you waiting for?? Go out and create the best site Dog has ever seen! Category:Blog posts